An Inspired Chat with Cameron Robbert of Denver

We recently had the chance to connect with Cameron Robbert and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cameron, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I believe the average person is struggling with fostering the courage to pursue their dreams. There are a number of factors that can influence this for someone. Things like societal expectations, familial expectations, financial fears, the list goes on and on.

These are certainly factors that should be taken into consideration and weighed against the reality of what their dream entails. However, we are only given one life and the responsibility to make the most of that life falls on our shoulders alone. Life is not so kind as to hand deliver opportunities or successes by itself.

My advice is, truly examine that which you dream of. Understand that no task in life can be completed without hard work and a relentless determination. There will be ups and downs, there will be times of hardship. It’s best to temper your expectations in a direction that is based in reality, rather than setting your sights on the perfect outcome. If your dream is truly one that is close to your heart, you would rather try and fail, than never try at all. Understand the regret of not pursuing your dreams will weigh on you, infinitely more than the courage needed to take the first step.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey everyone!

My name is Cameron, and I am a Director for a swim school in my day-to-day job. It is a job that I love dearly, and an environment I thrive in! Having the ability to play a role in the safer application of water safety and survival techniques for swimmers of all ages is something that is truly rewarding. I also had the opportunity to speak at the USSSA National Conference last year, and I chose to speak about building a rewarding culture in the workplace, as it is another component of my job that I find joy in doing.

In addition to this, I am a content creator on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube, of a humbly moderate scale. I have always found personal joy in the ability to affect and help others. My content is primarily fitness driven, which is also something that has been a major focal point of my life for quite some time!

I’m not done yet! I also work as an MMA/Kickboxing coach at Train Station in Longmont. I trained and competed in these sports for a few years, before transitioning into a coaching role. I truly enjoy this role, as it allows me to continue helping and teaching people of all ages and abilities. I have a student who will be competing soon, and am focusing on getting them ready for the big show!

Finally, I have recently launched my own clothing brand, Ryong1997. Creativity and design is another core component to my personality, and I am always happiest when I can pursue things like this!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I spent so much of my life striving to be “perfect” in every way. Physically, emotionally, intellectually, I was always trying to present this ideal image of myself to those around me. In truth, I’ve come to find that this way of thinking was rooted in deeper psychological paths that weren’t objectively healthy.

As a child of adoption, I have always struggled with abandonment issues. I believe my way and methods of striving for perfection largely stem from this. If I look better, they won’t leave me. If I make someone laugh more, they won’t leave me. These were all basic thought processes that dominated my life for so long, without necessarily realizing it! Through time, reflection and professional help, I was able to bring much of this to the surface. This process was by no means easy, but it was necessary for me to continue growing.

There were certainly benefits to the pursuit of perfection, it’s helped fuel a deep passion and desire to succeed and move forward in life, even if the odds are stacked against me. However, I believe that the relationship and underlying catalyst for this was not sustainable as it caused me to lower my own self-image. Working on the ability to accept myself as I was, am now, and will be is now the path I must pursue.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain, when I realized that I needed to access it to both help myself, as well as help others. As most people do, I spent a long time putting on an image for display that wasn’t necessarily indicative as to how I was actually feeling. It is still something I struggle with at times!

However, I realized that there is no path forward in life if you are not honest and genuine with yourself. You can lie to yourself all you want, but that will not stop, or even slow, the consequences of leaving these things unchecked. You must self-advocate and give yourself the time and space to access the things and ideas in life that are currently causing pain. There is no path around things like this, only forward.

As it relates to others, I personally saw firsthand how impactful it was for me when someone I looked up to admitted struggling, or was vulnerable to a side that is not always seen. As someone who leads others in the workplace, at my gym, or even on social media, I feel a sort of responsibility to be candid and honest about myself.

It’s okay to not be okay, I want people to know that because I know how much it helped me. If I can lead by example in a way that causes someone else to embark on a path towards improvement like I did, it was all worth it.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
Failure is ALWAYS an option.

The saying goes, “failure is not an option”. You’ll hear this all the time, and the general message this is trying to be conveyed is not necessarily something that I disagree with!

However, I disagree with the statement as a whole, simply because it’s not true.

Failure is always an option. In fact, it’s the most readily available option at any given point! It takes zero effort to fail. If you want to fail at your job, you simply give up and stop going. Even though that sounds bleak and the reality is that failure is always an option, it’s a choice. You can choose to fail, or you can choose to succeed.

Now, choosing to succeed is not nearly as easy as choosing to fail, because it requires dedication and hard work. This can seem overwhelming, but it’s oftentimes because people set their goals based on outcomes.

As an example, if I set a goal to lose 20lbs, I very likely may fail that! The outcome is clear, but what do the steps or tasks needed to fulfill this goal look like? I would be much better off setting realistic task-based goals, like meeting a daily caloric deficit, or getting 10,000 steps/day in. Not only will I more likely succeed on a daily basis, I will also more likely meet the outcome goal as a whole this way!

Choose to succeed. Accept that failure can and will happen along the way, but don’t pretend it won’t!

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Certainly. This was not always how I felt about the matter! People crave praise, and rightfully so. Praise is direct validation to your efforts and acknowledgment of the success. These are two things that are incredibly hard to self-impose.

However, I pride myself on the ability to work hard and celebrate my own successes without the need for external validation. I believe becoming too reliant on that can lead to hubris, or even disappointment if the praise stops coming!

I no longer do the things that I do in life for recognition or praise. I do them because I believe they are the right things to do and that I am here to help others. My father is a huge source of that mindset. He has never once hesitated to go above and beyond for those around him, as well as complete strangers! I have always believed in superheroes, or those that always find a way to help others. My father showed me a true example of executing this in the real world, and I will not let his method be extinguished.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ryong1997.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camdoesthat/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-robbert-193646107
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnMoivpFeDSU7hYXuoJXqyg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@camdoesthat